- Australia: MP loses both legs in vehicle attack as suspect appears in court
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines has had both of her legs amputated after being rammed by a car outside her electoral office, her husband said, as the suspected attacker appeared in court. Doctors amputated the MP’s left leg after an attacker hit her twice with his car in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, on Monday, Phil Haines said. They tried to save her right leg but failed to do so, he told a news conference on Wednesday. … The suspect in the attack, revealed to be a 43-year-old man called Brendan Nugent, made a brief court appearance on Wednesday. … The suspect’s lawyer said he has a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis and is also recovering from a concussion, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.” (10/21/26)
- Musk chose to restrict Ukraine’s access to SpaceX satellite network, sources say
Source: CBS News
“A decision by Elon Musk led to restrictions on Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s satellite communications network, people familiar with the matter told CBS News. The satellite service, which is used for drone operations, hitting certain targets and protecting sites in Ukraine, was slowed significantly last week. Musk held multiple conversations with administration officials leading up to the order, the sources said. He wanted clarity on the president’s thinking on the matter. Musk has expressed distaste with his company being seen as profiting from the continued war between Russia and Ukraine. It’s not clear how Musk’s order to curtail service was executed.” (10/20/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-ukraine-spacex-starshield-trump-administration/
- The (Hopefully Temporary) Decline and (Hopefully Not) Fall of the Annual Fundraiser
Hey, everyone …
Yesterday was a “zero-dollar day” in our annual fundraiser. We’re stuck, as of 5am, at $1,003 — 36% of the way to our $5,503 goal (once we’ve raised $2,751.50, supporter GL will “match funds” for the second half).
None of this “we’ll have to shut our doors if you don’t smash that donate button” stuff. We’ve been at this for nearly a quarter century as RRND and for more than 30 years as Freedom News Daily and Libernet before that. We plan to keep on going.
On the other hand, we gotta eat, and this is the one time of the year when we lean on you about that. The big prize for getting across the finish line is that I’ll stop badgering you about money completely for the rest of 2026, and mostly for the first nine months of 2027.
So:
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
And have a great day!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - Trump envoy Witkoff to meet Putin in St. Petersburg for Ukraine war talks
Source: The Hill
“U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting. The visit came a day after Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some European leaders in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. … Russia and Ukraine are still far apart in their terms for a settlement, as their armies remain locked on the battlefield and they pummel each other with daily long-range strikes.” (10/21/26)
- Bitcoin rebounds to $83k as Strong Earnings Lift US Stocks
Sourc: CoinCentral
“Bitcoin (BTC) returned to $83,000 after the Wall Street open on Tuesday. US stocks gained on strong earnings reports. BTC rose as much as 1.5%, its highest level since October 14. It then dropped back toward $82,000. General Motors and 3M both beat Q3 earnings expectations. 3M also raised its profit forecast. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.2%, reaching levels last seen on September 14. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up 0.6% and 0.5%. Oil prices moved sharply during the session. US WTI crude passed $100 a barrel for the first time since September 17, then fell below $96.” (10/21/26)
https://coincentral.com/bitcoin-btc-price-rebounds-to-83k-as-strong-earnings-lift-us-stocks/
- AL: Ivey spares death row inmate, citing doubts about evidence
Source: NBC News
“Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday commuted the death sentence of a death row inmate after a number of former public officials, and the current district attorney, raised doubts about his conviction. The Republican governor said she was commuting Toforest Johnson’s death sentence to life in prison without parole. Johnson was convicted of the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy. Johnson has long maintained he is innocent. … Hardy was shot twice in the head while working off-duty security at a hotel. Johnson has maintained he was on the other side of town at the time of the shooting. … The key prosecution witness at Johnson’s 1998 trial testified that, while eavesdropping on a phone call, she heard a man she believed was Johnson admitting to the crime. She was paid $5,000 in 2001 for her testimony, and Johnson’s lawyers argue that the state withheld evidence of monetary motivation for the testimony.” (10/20/26)
- UK: Regime to deploy fighter jets to support Saudi regime against Houthi attacks
Source: CNN
“The United Kingdom said Tuesday it will deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi rebels [sic] in Yemen. The UK will fly ‘defensive counter-air missions’ using Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Over the past month, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia, launching ballistic missiles and drones at key infrastructure, including oil facilities and airports. The UK is already providing air-to-air refueling support to Saudi Arabia and has deployed air defense equipment and British personnel to help protect the kingdom, a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office told reporters.” [editor’s note: No mention of the fact that the Saudi terror regime is waging a war of aggression against Yemen – TLK] (10/20/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/20/middleeast/uk-military-saudi-arabia-yemen-houthis-intl
- FL: Regime attorneys threaten TV stations with criminal charges for running true ad
Source: Tampa Bay Times
“State attorneys are warning Florida television stations that broadcasters could be committing crimes by airing campaign ads about a grand jury’s investigation into Hope Florida. Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Suzy Lopez sent letters to several television stations around Tampa Bay on Friday, hours before a Republican Party of Florida lawsuit about the ads was filed in court. … State Attorney Brian Haas of the 10th Judicial Circuit in Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties sent an identical letter to TV stations in his area on the same day, a record shows. … A judge on Tuesday called for a hearing but declined to immediately stop the ads as the Republican Party of Florida requested.” (10/20/26)
- Trump Scrambles To Block Jack Smith Testimony as Frivolous $10 Billion BBC Lawsuit Backfires
Source: International Business Times
“Donald Trump faces mounting pressure in his $10 billion (£7.5 billion) legal battle against the BBC, as a judge threatens sanctions over his deposition dispute and the broadcaster seeks testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith. The president is suing the British Broadcasting Corporation over a documentary that he claims deceptively edited his 6 January 2021 speech to suggest he incited the Capitol riot. But the BBC is fighting back, demanding evidence to challenge Trump’s allegations while opposing his efforts to block Smith’s testimony. … US Magistrate Judge Enjolique A. Lett warned on 16 October that Trump could face sanctions if he continued to fail to comply with the court’s orders regarding his deposition. … The BBC says it had sought dates for Trump’s deposition since July. The two sides eventually agreed on 16 October, but Trump’s lawyers later said he was unavailable because of ‘other matters of national importance’.” (10/20/26)
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-faces-sanctions-bbc-legal-battle-1826732
- Romania: Political crisis gets six-month truce as new regime formed
Source: Politico
“Romania ended five months of political paralysis Tuesday with its parliament voting in Luca Niculescu as prime minister after three failed attempts to form a government — but the deal comes with a six-month deadline for the parties to strike a more lasting agreement. The threat of snap elections, which would likely see the populist right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party surge, helped push the center-right National Liberal Party (PNL) and the center-left Social Democrats (PSD) to agree on a government led by independent Niculescu, a former journalist and diplomat who was nominated as prime minister by moderate President Nicușor Dan earlier this month. The socialists will join the cabinet, but the liberals will stay out.” (10/20/26)
- Google Cloud outages hit British banks, logistics businesses
Source: United Press International
“Financial institutions based in the United Kingdom reported widespread disruption of their online services Tuesday after Google outages hit a significant portion of its Cloud services. … The BBC said it was unclear if all the firms were Google Cloud services clients, meaning problems experienced on Tuesday may have had a different origin.” (10/20/26)
- China: Regime creates state-owned firm in Xiongan to develop AI data resources
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China has set up a new state-owned enterprise dedicated to managing the country’s massive data resources, a significant move designed to turbocharge the nation’s artificial intelligence industry and bolster its digital economy. The National Data Group Co – based in China’s ‘city of the future’, Xiongan New Area in northern Hebei province – is tasked with ‘developing and utilising data resources, unlocking the value of data elements, serving AI development and fostering a data industry ecosystem’, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.” (10/20/26)
- Zelenskyy says early warning system resumes following Rubio call
Source: SFGate
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv is once again receiving early warnings from its partners following recent Russian missile attacks that he said occurred without enough notice. For at least a week, the Ukrainian leader has said that his country’s military has not received early warnings about ballistic missiles aimed at the capital. He said such intelligence saves lives by allowing alerts to the public and giving military units time to try to intercept the missiles. Zelenskyy said the change happened after talks with his American counterparts, including a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the day. ‘We are thankful that intelligence works now, and I’m speaking about early warning, which is very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians, because we can hear when ballistic is coming,’ Zelenskyy said on a visit to Norway. ‘So we are thankful to American side now that it works.'” (10/20/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/russian-missile-and-drone-blitz-kills-4-in-22484962.php
- US Judge Dismisses Sam Altman’s Sister’s Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
Source: US News & World Report
“Sam Altman on Tuesday won the dismissal of a civil lawsuit filed by his sister accusing the OpenAI co-founder and chief executive of repeated sexual abuse more than two decades ago, an accusation he denies. … US District Judge Zachary Bluestone wrote that she had refused to appear for an independent medical examination despite warnings that failure to do so would result in the case’s dismissal. … She accused her brother of sexually abusing and raping her between 1997 and 2006 at the family home in suburban Clayton, Missouri …. The Altman family has said Annie Altman has mental health challenges and received financial support. Sam Altman has said she began accusing him on social media of sexual abuse after the family rejected her demands for more funds.” (10/20/260
- Sudan: Army drones reportedly hit mourners & fuel market, killing more than 300 people
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Sudan’s army has been accused of launching several drone strikes that have reportedly killed more than 300 people, including dozens travelling to a funeral. The death toll from strikes in two areas of West Kordofan state on Sunday evening was 150, sources told the Sudan War Observatory, which tracks the conflict that erupted in 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In Abyei, a disputed border area between Sudan and South Sudan, 153 people were killed when drones hit a market on Monday, the region’s information minister said. A military source told the BBC the army had carried out the Abyei attack, saying the market was a fuel supply site for the RSF.” (10/20/26)
- US regime orders federal agencies to remove China’s DeepSeek AI from their systems
Source: TechCrunch
“The U.S. has ordered federal civilian agencies to stop purchasing services and products developed by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek and remove them from government IT systems over national security concerns tied to the Chinese AI startup’s operations in China, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The order goes beyond banning DeepSeek’s own product, but also covers third-party products and services built using DeepSeek technology, though agencies can request exceptions. The DHS raised concerns about DeepSeek’s handling of user data, warning that sensitive information from US government users could potentially be accessible to Chinese authorities under Chinese law, the order said. … China pushed back against the U.S.’s move. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday that Beijing opposes ‘overstretching the concept of national security and politicizing technology and trade issues,’ according to an official briefing.” (10/20/26)
- OH: Democratic governor candidate’s estranged mother urges voters to reject her
Source: Fox News
“Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s mother urged voters not to cast their ballot for her daughter, calling her ‘a liar’. ‘I love my daughter. But when I saw her lying about her opponent — it’s not easy for a mother to say this — but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar.’ … Acton, a former Ohio Department of Health director, issued a statement from her brother. The release containing the statement described the woman as the siblings’ ‘estranged and abusive mother.’ ‘It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,’ Philip Stearns said in the statement. ‘After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died.'” (10/20/26)
- France: Regime to impose new curfews in unrest-hit areas where needed, PM says
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“France will impose new curfews in areas where they are required, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Tuesday after the first night of partial curfews in major cities including Paris. Lecornu said the targeted curfews had helped keep the peace overnight after a turbulent weekend that saw protesters take aim at state institutions. … Lecornu has told French lawmakers that authorities would mobilize a ‘massive’ security presence next weekend, after organizers announced plans for new protests. … The prime minister also accused what he referred to as small ultra-left and extreme-left groups in certain locations of forging an ‘insurrectionary plan’ that fueled the violent rioting over the weekend for which the government could provide evidence.” (10/20/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/french-authorities-impose-partial-curfews-in-paris-nice/live-79707186
- Yemen: Houthis attack besieged city that UN says is at “grave risk”
Source: Associated Press
“Iran-backed Houthi rebels [sic] struck a residential area in Yemen’s third-largest city on Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and renewing attention on the dangers faced by civilians in Taiz, which has been under attack and siege during the country’s escalating conflict. The Houthis have largely encircled Taiz, cutting it off from most supply routes and putting civilians at ‘grave risk’, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday. The U.N. says the siege has left many residents without food and other necessities as prices soar. The attack on Taiz came a day after a Houthi strike on a government military camp killed 73 recruits, the deadliest strike since the resurgence of the conflict over the summer, according to a senior Yemeni government official.” (10/20/26)
https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-saudi-fighting-8a036054a8f0cd38ff8ee0101947f708
- MS: Cop skates (for now) in negligent discharge that killed one-year-old
Source: United Press International
“The use of force in an officer-involved-shooting that resulted in the death of a 1-year-old in Mississippi has been ruled justified by the state of Mississippi on Monday. … The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said the driver of the vehicle, Kohen’s aunt, drove toward the police officers and struck one of them. An officer then fired on the vehicle, hitting the driver and fatally shooting Kohen [Wiley]. … An independent autopsy report found that Kohen’s death was a homicide. His family is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump as they seek the release of surveillance footage from the Walmart and the bureau of investigation.” (10/19/26)
- Against Against Handover
Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander“The latest bugbear is ‘AI successionism’, the belief that AIs should succeed humans as rulers of Earth. But some critiques fail to distinguish between two different ideas. True successionism says that AIs should take over, killing humans or steamrolling over their interests. This is very bad: a compact description of the thing that AI safety is against. Handoverism says that humans should prioritize their own interests, but that those interests may be well-served by having aligned AIs in positions of control. Some people in AI safety, including me, find this latter position plausible.” (10/20/26)
- Trump’s $8 Billion Diesel Bailout Pays Farmers for a Problem He Created
Source: Reason
by Tosin Akintola“On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would ‘make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs.’ … The $8 billion program is part of a windfall of taxpayer money the Trump administration has sent to farmers as relief for harms caused by the president’s actions. Last December, the USDA sent $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to more than half a million farmers nationwide. Earlier this month, the USDA announced it would provide a record $13.8 billion in gross payments to agricultural producers to cover revenue losses.” (10/20/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/20/trumps-8-billion-diesel-bailout-pays-farmers-for-a-problem-he-created/
- Saving Lives at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon
Source: Indepenent Institute
by Stephen P Halbrook“On October 15, I published a post arguing that true ‘sensitive places’ where guns are banned must have armed protection. The same day, a murderer broke into a ‘gun-free-zone’ school in Oregan and began shooting children and teachers. A dad of two girls at the school just happened to be driving by and grabbed his pistol, rushed into the school, and ‘neutralized’ the killer with several shots. He was a concealed pistol licensee. … the brave community member who entered the school and ended the carnage would have violated the law, but for a ‘choice-of-evils’ justification defense.” (10/20/26)
- Missouri’s Rules for Plug-In Solar Are out of Proportion to the Risk
Source: Show-Me Institute
by Patrick Tuohey“You can plug a 1,500-watt space heater into your living room wall without asking anyone. Plug in a 1,200-watt solar panel, however, and Missouri treats you like a small power plant. The two aren’t identical, since the panel can push power back into the wiring. But that difference calls for a safety standard, not a permit process built for commercial grade rooftop arrays. Under Missouri’s net-metering law, a panel that feeds power into a home’s wiring is a ‘customer-generator.’ Its owner must file an interconnection application with a wiring diagram, wait for the utility’s approval, and have a qualified electrician or engineer certify the installation. Bright Saver, a nonprofit that sells plug-in solar kits, won’t ship them to Missouri until the law changes. Two bills filed in the 2026 legislative session would have fixed that.” (10/20/26)
- Is It “Rational” To Vote In the Midterms?
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Scott Boykin“Voting is almost never instrumentally rational because we control only one vote, our own, and in an election of any significance, our own vote will make no difference in the result. By ‘instrumental’ rationality, I mean taking a reasonably efficient means of accomplishing one’s ends. It is true that in local elections with a very small electorate, it is conceivable that our vote matters, but in congressional and statewide elections, our votes have only an insignificant impact on the outcome. Furthermore, voting involves some cost. … Instrumental rationality is not a reason to vote, but that does not exhaust the kinds of reasons we may have for voting.” (10/20/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/is-it-rational-to-vote-in-the-midterms
- “Free Money” May Land On You … In More Ways Than One
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“‘A billion here, a billion there,’ the late US Senator Everett Dirksen (R-IL) mused, ‘and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.’ Government spending is almost always about buying votes, but never more obviously than during campaign season. … Of course, all that faux generosity has to be paid for … and it gets paid for by, at least in part, the same people the ‘free money’ lands on. In order to spend money, the government has to have money. Which means it either taxes you to get the money, or it borrows the money and promises to beat it out of you later (with interest).” (10/20/26)
- JD Vance Is Not Our Guy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Harrison Berger“Vance is often cast as a principled restrainer, privately skeptical of the Iran War. In fact, he has spent the past two years building the case for the war he will soon hope to distance himself from. With the 2028 circus set to begin, as it always does, once next month’s midterms are over, it is worth reviewing Vance’s hawkish record and dispelling the notion that he is the sensible peacemaker he and his surrogates will present him as.” (10/20/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/harrison_berger/2026/10/19/jd-vance-is-not-our-guy
- The Road to Serfdom Runs Through Both Parties
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith“As both major parties embrace government ownership, look to history: socialism and political freedom have never coexisted for long.” (10/20/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-road-to-serfdom-runs-through-both-parties/
- Gods and Gamblers
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders“Blaise Pascal thought of faith as a cosmic wager. If God exists, belief offers eternal bliss and unbelief risks eternal loss. If God does not exist, the believer sacrifices only finite pleasures and possibilities in mortal life. The stakes are asymmetrical: a limited earthly cost weighed against a potentially infinite reward. Pascal thought we ought to wager on God. We cannot know the outcome in advance, but we cannot avoid betting. Among AI researchers and observers, estimates of the risks and rewards vary wildly. Some envision a superintelligence that solves humanity’s greatest problems. Others foresee catastrophe, even extinction. Between these extremes lie countless futures in which AI makes human life better in some respects and worse in others. No one knows the odds. But the stakes are enormous, and the wager is already underway.” (10/20/26)
- The Deep Midterms
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson“There are two ways of looking at the midterms, now less than three weeks away: One is as a simple referendum on the issues and politicians of the day. The other involves a far deeper conflict of visions (as Thomas Sowell puts it): socialism versus capitalism, intrusive versus limited government, and the destruction of time-honored institutions and traditions versus their preservation and renewal. Rarely in American history have the two parties been so far apart or the choice between them so stark. In brief, Islamist-sympathizing socialism is on the ballot against free-market capitalism and American exceptionalism. The new Islamist-allied socialist Democratic Party is confident, largely because the party holding the White House has increased its share of House seats in a midterm election only three times since 1900. Each of those exceptions arose under unusual circumstances.” (10/20/26)
- The high cost of Trump’s backward fuel policy
Source: The Hill
by Richard L Revesz“Five decades ago, when the United States faced unusually high fuel prices and energy-security concerns from the slowdown of Middle East exports, President Ford successfully urged Congress to pass the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. This bipartisan legislation gave the national highway authority the ability to promulgate fuel efficiency standards, which have reduced Americans’ fuel costs while also producing significant environmental and climate change benefits ever since. Now, the United States faces similar concerns with fuel prices and energy security, self-inflicted as a result of President Trump’s decision to attack Iran. But this time, the administration has eviscerated Congress’s solution.” (10/20/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/6158816-fuel-efficiency-rollback-costs/
- Milgram vs. “Power Relations”
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan“Intuitively, we tend to think that power flows from an ability to inflict punishment. Governments have power because they will imprison you or confiscate your property if you break the law. Employers have power because they will fire or demote you if you disobey orders. Teachers have power because they will give you a bad grade if you don’t do your work. Parents have power because they will ground you or take away your allowance if you don’t do what you’re told. What Milgram shows, however, is that this is only part of the story.” (10/20/26)
- France Has to Stand Up or Europe Could Fall
Source: Town Hall
by Derek Hunter“Paris is burning. So is much of France and other places across Europe. What was billed as a ‘student protest’ was soon overrun with communist and Palestinian flags (but I repeat myself), Arafat doilies draped over heads and shoulders, and ‘newly arrived’ Muslims from across the Mediterranean Sea. Unless schools are very different in France, I don’t think we’re dealing with students here. It is, as it is every single time you find violence, the radical left. Crazy, evil leftists willing to blindly throw bricks at police, loot stores, pummel anyone deemed impure and to do it all with a sense of superiority.” (10/20/26)
- The FBI Built Secret AI “Election” Investigation Rules — and Stood Up an “Election Executive” Whose Public Trail Has Since Vanished
Source: Cato Institute
by Patrick G Eddington“Documents obtained by Cato via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal that more than a year before the 2026 midterms, the FBI was quietly building two election-related capabilities at once. The first was a set of internal ‘triggers’ that told field agents when they could investigate AI-generated or ‘synthetic’ political content — rules the Bureau is still keeping secret. The second was an apparently new headquarters post called the ‘FBI Election Executive,’ who stood up in mid-2025 to ‘handle preparations for the 2026 midterm cycle.’ In the months since that ‘Election Executive’ position became public, nearly every public trace of the official who holds it has disappeared — her LinkedIn profile has been taken down, and there is no findable record of her on the FBI’s own website.” (10/20/26)
- Minnesota’s massive fraud scandal could deliver stunning Senate upset
Source: Fox News
by Hugh Hewitt“‘This historic fraud happened under her watch, and suddenly, she’s looking out for Medicaid and SNAP? Sell it to someone else, Peggy.’ With this debate response to Minnesota Democratic Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan’s protestations of concern over access to benefits for the very poor, Republican nominee for Senate Michele Tafoya sealed her status as ‘rookie of the year’ in American politics. A longtime NFL broadcast professional, Tafoya demonstrated decades of quick on-camera thinking in her debate last week with Flanagan and combined it with a deft slash at Flanagan’s greatest vulnerability: Flanagan’s apprenticeship as lieutenant governor to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during the tidal wave of fraud that swept across Minnesota after COVID-era ‘look-the-other-way’ policies became a feature, not a bug, in Minnesota’s vast system of ‘safety net’ programs.” [editor’s note: At the moment, Flanagan seems to be polling ahead of Tafoya, but not by a lot. It will be about turnout – TLK] (10/20/26)
- What happened to all the concern about Venezuelan democracy?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Imdat Oner“Just a year ago, governments across the region were condemning Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarianism, questioning the legitimacy of his electoral victories and supporting international pressure on Caracas. Today, many engage directly with Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president and Venezuela’s interim president. The region has moved from demanding democratic change in Caracas to normalizing relations with the very political establishment it once sought to isolate.” (10/20/26)
- Inside Dems’ absurd push to downplay noncitizen voting and block Voter ID
Source: California Post
by staff“Californians have been told for months or even years: Noncitizen voting is as mythical as Bigfoot. Well, we just had a few sightings. As the California Post reported, federal authorities on Monday charged 28 foreign nationals with alleged election-related crimes, including illegally registering to vote and, in some cases, casting votes in past elections. The feds called ‘Operation Protect the Vote’ the largest voter fraud bust in state history. And it underscores a basic truth in California: Fraud of all kinds has run amok for years; it needs to end; and state voters in November would do well to support Prop. 39, the Voter ID act — to help ensure that at least part of it does.” [editor’s note: Prosecutors claim 21 of those charged voted illegally. So slightly fewer than one one-millionth of registered California voters -TLK] (10/19/26)
- Conquest, Commerce, and Development
Source: Law & Liberty
by Kai Weiss“hat should the principles of development policy be? In light of the often-dark history of Western attempts to develop other parts of the world—from the conquest of the Americas and the colonization of Africa and Asia to the more banal ‘development’ policies of the twentieth century—what regularly went wrong in this history? What was lacking in allegedly benevolent policies that turned into tyranny and oppression? And how can development economics prevent this history from continuing? These are the questions at the heart of William Easterly’s Violent Saviors: The West’s Conquest of the Rest.” (10/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/conquest-commerce-and-development/
- Only Congress Can Defend Our Right to Private Conversation
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Bob Goodlatte“Imagine you’re walking through a quiet park with your best friend. You lower your voices and speak privately about something very personal and sensitive. You need no government permission to have this conversation. You do not expect an intelligence agency to listen in and decide whether your conversation sounds suspicious. You’re just two friends, talking. Why shouldn’t we expect the same freedom to speak freely and privately when we communicate online? Wednesday, Oct. 21, is Global Encryption Day, an occasion to defend the technology that makes digital conversations as private as those you have with your friends and family. But encryption is in danger of being broken by demands from governments at home and abroad.” [editor’s note: Congress or no Congress, we can defend our own rights by using encryption with or without permission – TLK]
- Competence and Capability in the Age of AI
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Russ Gonnering“AI can be extremely valuable as a ‘library’ of what is already known. When used as a tool in the Simple and Complicated domains, it streamlines the understanding of the problem. However, it can be counterproductive in the Complex Domain, as the journey to asking the right question is just as important as obtaining the right answer. Its utility in the Chaotic Domain is still nebulous. When faced with a ticking time bomb, it is not important that the wiring be understood but that the bomb be rapidly defused with a water disrupter. Analysis can come later.” (10/20/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/competence-and-capability-in-the-age-of-ai/
- Whitehouse Taunts Biden and Other Democrats For Being Too “Chicken” to Pack the Court
Source: Jonathan Turley Blog
by Jonathan Turley“Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI] has added schoolyard taunts to his call to pack the Supreme Court with an instant liberal majority. Last week, Whitehouse denounced former President Joe Biden and other Democrats for being ‘too chicken’ to pack the Court and, in the view of many of us, destroy the institution that has been critical to the success of this Republic for 250 years. The Lever’s David Sirota, a former speechwriter and adviser to Bernie Sanders, set the table for Whitehouse by asking him about how the public can join the resistance to the Court, which is ‘enabling an anti-democratic project.'” (10/20/26)
- The Cost of Europe’s Steel Wall
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes“Steel tariffs protect producers at the expense of the businesses that depend on them. As of July 1, the European Union has capped duty-free steel imports at about 18.3 million tonnes (20.2 US tons) a year, 47% below 2024 quota levels. Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 also doubles the duty on imports that exceed those limits, from 25% to 50%. Brussels justifies these measures by pointing to global overcapacity and the need for strategic autonomy. Yet, by making imported steel more expensive, it risks hurting thousands of European companies that rely on this raw material to compete in domestic and international markets.” (10/20/26)
- The Traitor in Chief
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“Previous administrations have made deals with erstwhile adversaries, as Nixon did with China, and given up on support for failing allies, as the U.S. did in Vietnam and Afghanistan. But never before have we outright switched sides, let alone supported an aggressor while vilifying that aggressor’s victim. What makes Trump’s support for Putin even more remarkable is that Russia has, by many accounts, been actively aiding Iran against America in the war Trump started. Who says so? Well, among others, Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. … What would Republicans be saying if a Democratic president were supporting a foreign dictator even as that dictator was helping another nation kill American troops? They would be crying ‘treason.’ But this is all apparently ‘fine’ with Trump.” (10/20/26)
- Lessons From Political Violence in the 1876 Presidential Election
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya“In the ongoing debate about enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, civil rights activists allege that the Trump administration is intimidating black people to impede them from voting. They invoke the history of the Reconstruction era, arguing that ‘voters, especially voters of color, are intimidated and fearful of engaging in the democratic process.’ For historical context, it must be noted that during Reconstruction a vast majority of black people voted for the Republican Party, which they regarded as the party that brought them emancipation and voting rights. They felt they owed their allegiance to the Republicans and were encouraged in this belief by the Union Leagues. The history of that era is commonly recounted as if all the violence emanated from one side—the Democratic Party. The Republican Party is absolved of all moral blame.” (10/20/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/lessons-political-violence-1876-presidential-election
- French Riots, Russian Playbook
Source: The Next Move
by Garry Kasparov“In late summer 1944, as the Allies clawed France back from Nazi occupation, Adolf Hitler is reported to have asked one of his generals, ‘Is Paris burning?’ The führer’s question was more of a demand; Hitler wanted to deploy scorched-earth tactics in the French capital to slow the Anglo-American advance. Fortunately, the German dictator’s underlings punted and Paris was spared. Today, however, Paris is in flames, along with several other French cities. Rioters have torched cars and buildings and smashed homes and storefronts. Like Hitler before him, Vladimir Putin needs the West ablaze in order to postpone military defeat. With Russia, nothing comes out of the blue. The timing—coinciding with Donald Trump’s final, complete betrayal of Ukraine, ahead of the November US midterms and presidential elections in France next spring—is no accident.” (10/20/26)
- These Conservatives Fought an Ill-Fated War, but Recovered and Won the Next Election
Source: The American Conservative
by James P Pinkerton“The Anglo leader looked across the globe and saw a Muslim nation, which had already been stirring things up, potentially threatening a vital waterway. At the same time, Israel had its own beef against that country, and was pushing for a joint first-strike. So together, the two governments launched a military attack. But things did not go well. Casualties were low, but the political blowback was shattering. Is this a sketch of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran? Some might so assert, and that can’t be helped. Yet these are the outlines of the Suez Crisis of 1956.” (10/20/26)
- I Love You Guys
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“I don’t really fit in with any group. Too woo-woo spiritual for the Marxists. Too angry for the Buddhists. Too political for the nondualists. Too much of a liberal-hating commie for the witches. Too radical for the socdems or demsocs. Too grown up for the anarchists. If hippies were real I guess I’d be one of those. Like, if it had been more than psychedelic-fueled idealism that collapsed into vapid yuppiedom as soon as the drugs wore off. I’d be a hippie if there were something more substantial to it than navel-gazing escapism, because at least in theory they try to synthesize the political and the spiritual.” [editor’s note: Most anarchists are more “grown up,” emotionally at least, than Johnstone’s 40s going on 14 – TLK] (10/20/26)
- Is Elon Musk Worth the Trouble?
Source: The Dispatch
by Marian L Tupy“On Friday, Alex Gibney’s nearly four-hour documentary, Musk, opened nationwide. The film presents Musk as a deeply flawed man whose wealth and power have become dangerous. There is plenty of evidence for the first part of that judgment. But the documentary raises a larger question. How much offensiveness should society tolerate from people who push the technological frontier forward? My answer is quite a lot.” (10/20/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/elon-musk-innovation-tesla-spacex-politics-doge/
- Nobel prize for Keynesian economics
Source: Cobden Centre
by Dr. Frank Shostak“The Nobel prize in economics for 2026 was awarded to Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford. According to the Nobel committee, the laureates had developed macroeconomic models that significantly improved our ability to implement effective stabilization policies. The committee is of the view that on the basis of these models, well-timed fiscal and monetary policy measures can reduce the economy’s peaks and troughs. The models developed by the laureates are based on the ideas of English economist John Maynard Keynes. In the Keynesian framework, the output that an economy can generate with a given pool of resources i.e. labour, tools and machinery, and a given technology without causing inflation, is labelled as potential output.” (10/20/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/10/nobel-prize-for-keynesian-economics/
- After the International “Liberal Order”
Source: Reason
by Joshua Shifrinson“In popular rendering, international politics since 1945 has been shaped by the so-called ‘liberal order.’ Led by the United States, a bundle of international institutions, rules, and norms intended to limit interstate competition and facilitate cooperation were widely embraced, contributing (per this narrative) to a peaceful and prosperous world. Today, that system seems to be breaking down, leaving policymakers, pundits, and scholars grappling with what a future order should entail and how this system should be orchestrated. Rivers of ink have already flowed in service of this foundational question. To the mix we can now add Charles Kupchan’s Bringing Order to Anarchy.” (10/20/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/20/after-the-international-liberal-order/
- Trump vowed to stop an “energy emergency.” Then he created a real one.
Source: Grist
by Jake Bittle“On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump declared that the United States was experiencing a ‘national energy emergency.’ The ‘harmful and shortsighted policies of the previous administration,’ he wrote in an executive order, had left the nation’s energy resources ‘far too inadequate,’ a situation that ’causes and makes worse the high energy prices that devastate Americans.’ … Almost two years later, as Trump stares down a midterm election, his claim of an emergency has an ironic ring. The United States is experiencing a kind of energy emergency characterized by high fuel prices, but it is not the one he described when he took office. Not only that, but the executive powers he unlocked with his emergency order have proven useless for mitigating the current crisis and for lowering the high prices he decried upon taking office.” (10/20/26)
https://grist.org/energy/trump-energy-emergency-declaration-prices-oil-coal-gasoline-diesel/
- What Turned a Stock Market Crash into the Great Depression?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Thomas L Hogan“The stock market crash may have started the trouble, but Federal Reserve failures and New Deal interventions transformed a downturn into the Great Depression.” (10/20/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-turned-a-stock-market-crash-into-the-great-depression/
- Require Police to Get a Warrant to Search ALPR Data
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Adam Schwartz“Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are mass surveillance. They photograph every passing car and log where and when it was captured, building a searchable record of where nearly everyone drives. Cities should not buy them, and cities that already have them should shut them down. Where these systems still operate, courts and state legislatures must reduce their harms by (among other things) requiring police to get a warrant before searching stored ALPR data. A warrant requirement would not make mass surveillance acceptable, but it would require police to justify a search to a judge before accessing records of people’s movements.” (10/19/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/require-police-get-warrant-search-alpr-data
- Don’t expect Mamdani to actually act to reverse soaring subway violence
Source: New York Post
by staff“With Saturday’s mid-day murder in the tourist-packed 7th Avenue subway station at 53rd Street, the city has now seen seven transit killings since January — almost double the number over the same period last year — and the politicians plainly won’t do what’s needed to seriously reverse the trend. That grim milestone indicts Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his movement’s anti-public-safety policies — as he all but acknowledged Monday with a long, ugly silence before claiming to be ‘heartbroken’ over the death of Darrel Rodriguez and vague noises about addressing gun violence. Progressives have been on a ‘criminal justice reform’ roll for over a decade now — starting with the disastrous ‘success’ of getting city district attorneys to quit prosecuting fare-beating, even though such perps are regularly wanted for more serious offenses.” (10/20/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/10/20/opinion/why-mamdani-wont-act-to-reverse-soaring-subway-violence/
- Kansas? Montana? Mississippi? Where Will the Blue Wave Crest?
Source: Washington Monthly
by Bill Scher“Are Democrats spending money quixotically and stretching themselves too thin? Is there any chance Democrats can win in places that Donald Trump has consistently won by double digits? Especially in Senate races that could seal control of the upper chamber? Yes, there is a chance. Probable, no. A chance, yes.” (10/20/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/10/20/kansas-montana-mississippi-where-will-the-blue-wave-crest/
- The Good Fight, 10/20/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“James Marriott on the End of Reading.” (10/20/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 10/20/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s Watch the LNC Meeting 10/20/26 (Martin SIC Report).” (10/20/26)
- The Watch With Radley Balko, 10/20/26
Source: The Watch With Radley Balko
“Her fiancé and caretaker was murdered by a far-right extremist. Then Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned the killer. My interview with Whitney Mitchell.” (10/20/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/her-fiance-and-caretaker-was-murdered
- New Yorkers Don’t Compost. Will They Be Fined Into Compliance?
Source: Reason
“The city mandates composting, but New Yorkers don’t like to be told what to do with their garbage—and don’t seem all that clear on the rules in the first place.” (10/20/26)
https://reason.com/video/2026/10/20/new-yorkers-dont-compost-will-they-be-fined-into-compliance/
- Advisory Opinions, 10/20/26
Source: The Dispatch
“A Constitutional Crisis Over a Golf Course.” (10/20/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/a-constitutional-crisis-over-a-golf-course/
- Show-Me Institute Podcast, 10/20/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“Socialism, Chavez, and the Collapse of Venezuela with Jim Epstein.” (10/20/26)
- Rising, 10/20/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on a proposed deal to lower the tensions between Ukraine and Russia.” (10/20/26)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 10/20/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Hits Brutal New Polling Low—and GOP Leaks Grow Truly Humiliating.” (10/20/26)
- Law & Liberty Podcast, 10/20/26
Source: Law & Liberty
“A Humane American Conservatism with Michael Lucchese, hosted by James M. Patterson.” (10/20/26)
https://lawliberty.org/podcast/a-humane-american-conservatism/
- The Bryan Hyde Show, 10/20/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me to talk about the challenges of maintaining one’s principles and character in a time when everything seems negotiable.” (10/20/26)
- Cato Weekly Podcast, 10/20/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Trading Democracy for Oil? The Venezuela-US Deal.” (10/20/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-weekly-podcast/trading-democracy-oil-venezuela-us-deal
- Capital Record, episode 329
Source: National Review
“Hopelessness and Social Unrest.” (10/20/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/hopelessness-and-social-unrest/
- Trump Watch, 10/20/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Mid-Terms Won’t Make Any Difference.” (10/20/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/20/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“GOP Senators Freak Out As Trump Eases Russia Sanctions!” (10/20/26)
- TAC Right Now, 10/20/26
Source: The American Conservative
“GOP Headed for Midterm Wipeout? w/ Gabe Fleisher.” (10/20/26)
- Parallax Views w/ JG Michael, 10/19/26
Source: Parallax Views w/ JG Michael
“This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning w/ Robert Jensen.” (10/19/26)
- The Chris Spangle Show, 10/19/26
Source: The Chris Spangle Show
“Interview: Chris Spangle on How Indiana Historical Society Seeks to Preserve Hoosier History.” (10/19/26)
https://www.chrisspangle.com/p/interview-chris-spangle-on-how-indiana
- The Chris Hedges Report, 10/19/26
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“How Trump Plans to Steal the Midterm Elections.” (10/19/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/how-trump-plans-to-steal-the-midterm
- Chris Edwards on Freedom Works with Paul Molloy
Source: Freedom Works
“Amtrak.” (10/19/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-10-20_zfw0010192026.mp3
- Quillette Podcast, 10/19/26
Source: Quillette
“Podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Amy Hamm about Steven Galloway’s legal campaign against the University of British Columbia scholars who promoted baseless allegations that he was a rapist.” (10/19/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/10/19/watching-a-cancelled-novelist-confront-his-false-accusers/